All-electric, vertical (or short) takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft have been proposed to provide a small scale, personal aircraft. Some designs use lift fans driven by electric motors, powered by one or more onboard batteries, to provide lift during takeoff and landing, and one or more electric-driven propellers to operate in forward flight.
To provide adequate range and make it more feasible to provide a VTOL aircraft that is all-electric, lightweight materials, such as composite materials, may be required for structural and aerodynamic members such as the aircraft fuselage, wings, aerodynamic control surfaces (e.g., ailerons, rudders, etc.), and lift fans, propellers, or other rotors.
To operate in a real world environment, aircraft components made of composite materials must be durable, including along leading edges of aircraft structures that move through the air at high speed, such as wings, propeller blades, and lift fan or other rotor blades. Such leading edges, in particular, must be able to withstand aerodynamic forces, other forces (e.g., vibration), and impact from debris, etc.